The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

What a gorgeous cover!

The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles, #1)
Author: Kady Cross
ISBN-13: 978-0373210336
Publication Date: May, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Book Length: 336 Pages
Acquired by Me: NetGalley



Description Courtesy of Goodreads:

“In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gas lit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.”

My Thoughts:

I don’t have a lot of experience with reading Steampunk novels. I must be behind the times or something, but it never caught on for me. However, I couldn’t pass this book up, simply over the amazing title: The Girl in the Steel Corset. How awesome is that? What does it conjure up for you? I had all sorts of theories about what this book would hold in store for me.

As far as the storyline goes: I found it remarkably similar in concept to Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Angel. In both cases, we have a group of mystical mismatched teens, living in Victorian London, occasionally chaperoned by an elder figure. No money worries and tons of independence to come and go as they please. Both heroines have something powerful, untouched and unique about them, but neither understands what it is. Both heroes have a hidden background with untold secrets. Throw in a love triangle by including another compelling character to root for. Bring on a series of confrontations by an unknown evil power – using mechanical devices as his henchmen – dash a few mixed emotions and lovelorn looks between assorted members of heroic ensemble. Then cumulate in a final showdown that has our heroes as the winners…but wait, we aren’t quite done yet: more to come in the sequel(s). Will they or won’t they get together? Who will she choose? Who’s hiding a mysterious secret? How will this all end?

Settle in for the wait, because you’ve got a while for the next book to arrive to answer these questions.

I don’t really intend to compare The Girl in the Steel Corset with Clockwork Angel. I think the fact that I read the two books relatively close together forces me to acknowledge the similarities. They are very independent from one another and the writing styles have no resemblances per se.

I enjoyed Kady Cross’ style and where she decided to go with the storyline. Some of the mysticism to the energy source was lost on me – but it provided an explanation for the use of technology in a Victorian era. The steampunk part was my favorite part of the book. I love the way Cross built the London setting. I also thought the mechanical devices she created were fascinating and artful.

I was happy with the choice of relationships she built between the characters; although, I felt they weren’t as deep as I would have liked them. Not enough tangible emotion—but this could be accounted for because of the repression typically associated with the Victorian Age.

Speaking of: Queen Victoria puts in a cameo appearance in the book. Loved that! Loved her attitude and command. Her role in the story was very creative and clever.

I recommend this as a good, clean book that has that element of the supernatural you find in a great deal of young adult fiction these days. I did enjoy it and I plan on waiting for the second installment. Sounds like the troupe is headed to America in that story. Can’t wait to see what Kady Cross has in store for us…

The thoughts expressed in this post are solely based on my personal opinion and have not been influenced by any other entity or being. Use of my statements may not be reproduced without permission from me, the author of Fall In Love With Books.

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